Tacit Knowledge Flows and Institutional Theory: Accelerating Acculturation

Abstract

Knowledge is key to sustainable competitive advantage, but different kinds of knowledge affect competitive advantage differently. This applies especially to the environment of increasing globalization. Because cultural knowledge is deeply rooted and highly tacit, its flows are critical to global enterprise performance, but tacit knowledge clumps noticeably and is known well to flow both slowly and narrowly. Such clumping and flowing are exacerbated when knowledge is required to flow across cultures. Unfortunately, knowledge management theory on intercultural knowledge flows remains limited. Alternatively, Institutional Theory provides an effective lens, and recent research to integrate it with Knowledge Flow Theory provides a powerful, new theoretical framework for understanding how tacit knowledge flows across cultures. However, the specifics of any particular, intercultural flow are likely to be critical, highlighting the need for immersive, qualitative research to identify techniques to accelerate acculturation. This study undertakes such qualitative fieldwork and informs theory and practice alike.